Such Things

Placemat Ponderings

It is satisfying to set a table for dinner that looks homey, especially with the element of placemats.  Clearing the table becomes an easier task, less crumbs and wiping necessary.  Now my dilemma is, which kind of placemats to use?  I've used cloth that look soft and snug, but need to be washed and ironed.  Then the bamboo is the one we use the most, colourful and easy to wipe, but who knows what is trapped between those reeds?  Then I've considered plastic, but they take time to dry and just aren't as attractive.

So here I remain wondering. 

What kind of placemats do you use to grace your meals?

Ensuite Heaven

Hanging a framed photograph, taken by my husband Mark, was the finishing touch of my favourite room of our house.  Our ensuite. 

See, we didn't have an ensuite at all before our house renovation.  With three small children and only one small bathroom, this is a dream come true.  Bathrooms these days are known for their relaxing and spa-like qualities, and that's how I wanted ours to be. 

White, refreshing and clean, with wainscotting, a large soaker tub and separate shower. 

We managed to squeeze it all into a 9x6ft space.  

It was very fun to decorate.  All white linens, soaps, lufas and lots of accents from Ikea.

It's a place where I come to de-stress, to sit back in the tub, watching the sky or the candlelight.

It's my little bit of heaven.

Beloved Sock Bunnies

I truly believe in hands-on learning.  I believe that more is learned when a child is interested, engaged and creating.  One day after school, one of my students brought in a young grade one friend to show him some of her class projects.  He looked at me and said, "I think you do more crafts here than work!"  Well, that just might be true, and today the shape of the day was a favourite Easter craft: "sock bunnies."

Yes, socks.  They are what I dread most about laundry.  Lost, mismatched and perfect for a sock bunny project! 

I've since lost the original instructions for making the bunnies, but it is simple.  Stuff the sock up to and including the heel of the sock, then stitch across the sock just above the heel. 

 

From the toe of the sock, stitch a vertical line to create two "legs"

 

Then stitch a diagonal line on either side of the sock to create the "arms"

We finished them off with a ribbon around the "neck" of the bunny, wool whiskers, button nose, googly eyes and a pom-pom tail.  Cut the top part of the sock straight down the middle to create "ears".

There were sewing circles forming around the classroom.  The kids were really excited about their sock bunnies.  Each one had it's own personality. 

Hope you are looking forward to Easter!

Mixing Bills and Romance

Those darn bills.  They pile up, just waiting to be opened, sorted, paid, recycled and filed.   Taxes are soon due, and report cards...  Paperwork.  We try to make it fun here.  We pour some tea and Mark and I go at it together.  Budgeting, talking, writing, tackling that pile of papers.  Planning, writing cheques, laughing, heck, could bills be romantic? 

How do you take care of yours?

Beach House Flavour (Pt. Roberts, U.S.A.)

Wow. It seems like I have been away from civilization for ages! No computer, telephone, t.v. or even a vehicle. As you might know, we have a summer cottage at Pt. Roberts, which is a funny little piece of land, because it belongs to the US, but is only accessible through Canada. A friend of mine told me that Canada lost it to the US in a gambling match. I'm not so sure. Let me look that up... Here's the story. I guess it has to do with the 49th parallel. Not the scandalous tale I was hoping for!

I don't actually mind crossing the border at all. The trip is 45min to an hour from our house and I feel like I am in a different world. Small town U.S.A. After 9/11, apparently Pt. Roberts is was named the safest place in the U.S and I love it.

So, after the annual Pt. Roberts Garden Tour,

I thought I would stay a few days at the cabin, while Mark commuted in to teach summer school. It was just me and the kids for a large part of the time.

We spent it with bike rides,

Going for long walks to look for horses (for the kids) and dream homes (for me)

and daily trips to the beach.

At the house we:

did the daily chores,

listened to old records (hey, my kids knew the Chipmunks before it came out in the theaters!)

watched the neighbours building their new workshop (I imagined it was a barn...)

improvised where we had to (oops! Forgot to pack bibs!),

and of course did crafts. Lots of crafts (and projects too!)

Different types of beading. This coloured pasta is so great for texture and easy manipulation. String or plastic twine (from a dollar store) can be used to string the noodles.

These nature sculptures are fun and easy to make with a glue gun.

We're almost done painting the tree house too.

I heard a story from my Grandmother that my Grandfather (who built our beach house), used to send her and the kids to the beach house for the summer and he would come on weekends to see them. She also told me that his dad had a beach house and when my Grandfather was a boy his father would send him away with his mother and siblings to their beach house where his father would visit only on weekends.

At times on this trip, I noticed myself feeling quite lonely being without much adult company, though I did enjoy this special time with my children. In the end, I have decided that I love the beach house the most, because it is a special place for our family. I was so excited when Mark arrived today after teaching. I gave him many huge hugs. I don't intend to have my husband visiting only on weekends in this generation, thank you very much!!!

What a joy to drive from bright sunshine in Pt. Roberts to grey skies in Coquitlam. I love knowing that it was sunny where we were and cloudy at home!

Have a fun-filled and wonderful end to your week!

Spring Clean-Up

There is a festive event that takes place in Coquitlam each year.  It's called Spring Clean-up.  The city is willing to pick-up almost anything that is put out, so out it all goes.  There are couches, tubs, stoves, bikes, trash and scraps of every kind.  That is not the highlight though.  What follows is a scavenging extravaganza.   People come with dump-trucks, bags and baskets rummaging through the refuse.  They drive slowly down each street, selecting and leaving with toys, T.V.s, toilets and other trash.  I, myself have not scavenged, but I take delight in observing.  There was a U-haul truck at the house across the street, and I couldn't help but wander over to talk to the man collecting appliances for the scrap metal.  Another member of our family got very excited and put out something that doesn't fit anymore.  Now those are pretty tempting, don't you think?  That's the spirit of Spring Clean-up!

My To Do List

"Do what you love and love what you do."

I am convinced that doing things that are fun gives energy for the things that are not so fun.  This weekend we went out "adventuring" with the kids, and when we got home, I noticed that I had plenty of energy to clean the house.

Sometimes responsibilities seem to grow around me, the "have tos" and the "must dos".   My "to do" list has often looked like this:

1.  clean the house

2.  clean the house

3. clean the house

4. pay the bills

5.  run a boring errand

6.  attend a function that I don't enjoy and don't even want to go to

I find my enthusiasm is low, I procrastinate and I do not get things done quickly.  I develop a "trapped" feeling.

My new kind of "to do" list includes doing the things I enjoy the most first and then trying to enjoy the things I don't like as much:

1.  coffee/devotion time

2.  do something fun or relaxing for myself

3.  do something fun with my kids

4.  visit and laugh with friends

5.  make something or do a new project I've been meaning to do

6.  go for a run

7.  do one errand I need to attend to

8.  do a quick "circumference clean" of the house

9.  clean one room throughly

Or I make two lists at the beginning of the week, the "must do" list and the "want to do" list, and I mix it up throughout the week.

Life is about enjoyment, not drudgery!

By the way, I thought I had invented the quote at the opening of this post, but it's actually part of a quote by Jeff Mallett (I'm not sure exactly who he is).  Here's the entire quote:  "Do what you love, love what you do, leave the world a better place and don't pick your nose."

Lint Craft: The New Type of Knitting

I kept putting my clothes in the dryer and when the load was finished, they were still damp. Hmm... I wonder why. The next morning Mark called me from downstairs... "Mary, you forgot to empty the lint trap again!!!!!" Oh yeah that makes sense. This is what he showed me:

You might think this is an ugly sight, but it's not. This is a beautiful sight! Lint is a great material to recycle with. In fact there are tons of CRAFTS that one can make with lint. It might even become hotter than knitting!! Here, for instance, is a great lint craft, just in time for Easter:

It's found at this site: dryer lint, recycled crafts. Here are some other links as well: Dryer lint modeling material, Artist Bryn Starr dryer lint art.

Cleaning Philosophy

I am not a person that just does. I have to know why. I like to think about things. So it is with cleaning my house. Rather than just emptying the dishwasher, I ponder at the rationale of doing so.

The concept of "mess" or "cleaning" often comes up in conversation with other moms. There seem to be two extremes of cleanliness, which people tend to label as "neat freak" or "anal" vs "slob" or even "pig". I have a great campaign against labels of any sort and tend to try to find a middle ground. I, myself like to have a spotless house, but I also notice the reality of little piles, spills, smears and dust.

To find a middle ground, I think of the value of cleanliness as related to the concept of "home". There is the issue of safety, hygiene and organization. We want to provide our families with a home that has beauty, freshness, open spaces and clean surfaces.

I would also like to explore the benefits of "mess". Many children do not seem concerned about the amount of dirt, clutter and muck that is around them. When they read a book, it does not seem natural for them to put the book back, but rather to create a pile of books. How do we see this? Do we say "What a mess!!" or "Wow! Look at all the books you've read!!!"

One of my favourite children's books, Jillian Jiggs, written by Pheobe Gillman explores this idea. Jillian's mom appears restrictive as all she wants to do is clean the house. She misses the wonderful creativity and imagination that Jillian displays, making mess in the process.

Both mess and cleanliness can be stifling if they hinder freedom and expression, and if they are tied too closely to self-esteem. For example, would you feel embarrassed if someone came over and saw your house in a "state"? I know I do. Why is this?

I am still developing my own cleaning philosophy, but for now I like to think of cleaning as loving my home, and my home is not a place of perfection. Instead, it's "fairly clean".

"She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'" Luke 10:38-42

The Spreading Effect

Do these images scare you? Or do they excite you, thinking "at least my place isn't that bad!" Well, it could happen to anyone and it starts slowly. One room at a time, one book, fingerprint and crumb at a time. It is what I call the spreading effect. It is a huge topic of discussion among moms and it is a monster that I want to attack in this blog. You've heard the word: the concept of MESS!!!

"He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock and he gave me a firm place to stand" Psalm 40:2